Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the Battersea club championship.

Paul Stokes (1809) - Spanton (1884)

Queen's Pawn Game

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 Bf5!?

This fairly popular alternative to the mainline 3...Bg4 has been recommended by Chigorin guru Alexander Morozevich.

4.Bg2 Nb4!?

The attack against c2 is easily defended, and then repulsed, but after ...

5.Na3 e6 6.c3 Nc6

... it is far from clear who has done better out of the sequence.

Position after 6...Nc6

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

7.b3

The main continuation in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database is 7.Nc2 h6!? (7...Be7 and 7...Nf6 are also commonly seen) 8.0-0 Nf6 9.b3, after which Komodo14.1 marginally prefers White, while Stockfish16 marginally prefers Black.

7...Nf6 8.0-0 Bd6

The engines suggest 8...Ne4!?, which would seems to be a novelty.

9.c4 0-0 10.Bb2 Be4!? 11.Nb5 Re8!?

The engines prefer ensuring the bishop-pair is maintained with 11...Be7.

12.Nxd6

But here they like 12.Nc3!?, claiming a slight edge for White.

12...cxd6

How would you assess this middlegame?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

White has the bishop-pair, but the position is far from being open, and Black's centre has been strengthened. The engines reckon the game is balanced.

13.e3 Qb6 14.Qe2 a5 15.Rfc1 a4 16.c5 Qc7!?

Moving a queen onto the same file as an enemy rook, especially when the file can be immediately emptied of pawns, is often not a good idea, but here it seems fine.

17.Ba3 dxc5 18.Rxc5 Nd7 19.Rcc1 Qa5 20.bxa4 Nb6!? 21.Nd2!?

The engines agree with offering up the bishop-pair- after all, Black's light-square bishop is much more active than its white counterpart.

21...Bg6

Exchanging bishops, followed by capturing on a4 (either way), is also fine.

22.Nb3 Qxa4 23.Bb2 Nc4 24.Bc3 b5

Probably better is 24...b6!?, taking away c5 from the white knight. I rejected it because I did not like White's activity after 25.e4 dxe4 26.Bxe4 Bxe4 27.Qxe4, but the engines reckon both 24...Nd6 and 24...Ne7 give Black at least a slight edge.

25.Nc5 Qa3 26.h4 b4?!

Black's position almost certainly becomes too loose after this. The engines reckon both 26...h6 and 26...h5 give equality.

27.Be1 h6?

Black had to play 27...Qb2, but 28.Qxb2 Nxb2 leaves the black position uncoordinated.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

28.Rxc4! dxc4 29.Bxc6

How should Black respond?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

29...c3

This is best, according to the engines. I rejected 29...b3 because of 30.Bc3, and even stronger, according to the engines, is 30.e4.

30.Qc4??

This turns a win into a loss. The simple 30.Bxe8 Rxe8 31.e4 wins, as does, according to the engines, 30.e4.

30...Qb2 31.Nb3?!

Relatively best, according to the engines, is 31.Bxc3!? bxc3. followed by 32.Qf1 or 32.Rf1.

31...Rec8 32.Qxb4 Rxc6 33.Rc1 Bc2

White must lose a catastrophic amount of material

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

34.Bxc3!? Rxc3 35.Qb7 Rxa2 36.Qb8+ Kh7 37.Qb7 Rxb3 0-1

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 6: Remember A Mantra

IN round six I reached the following position with white.

I have just played 44.Kg2-h3

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

I have been a pawn up against my higher-rated opponent for much of the game, but she has just sacrificed the exchange on c2 to get to the seventh rank with the black queen.

I had spent quite a bit of time considering the consequences of Black playing a follow-up sacrifice on g4, eventually concluding that 44...Bxg4+? 45.Kxg4 Qg2 46.Kf5 wins for White, with little danger of succumbing to a perpetual.

The game saw 44...Qf2, after which Black has two winning lines, one starting 45...Qxf3+ and the other starting 45...Qh4+.

I defended against both winning lines with 45.Qc3??, missing Black's third winning line, 45...Qg3#.

In the heat of battle I forgot to apply my usual mantra after an opponent's move: CHECKS - CAPTURES - HANGERS - THREATS.

The idea, which derives from a recommendation of first world correspondence champion Cecil Purdy, is to consider every possible check and every possible capture, and to look for hangers, ie pieces and pawns that are undefended, and to look for possible threats, such as a pawn hitting a queen.

If I had applied the mantra I could not have missed ...Qg3# - it is a threat as well as a check! - and so would have taken the perpetual that is to be had after 45.Qb8+.

LESSON: a simple mantra is a valuable tool - Purdy is not the only one to have recommended it - but, as Purdy admitted, it is easy when excited or stressed to sometimes forget to apply it.

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 5: Your Opponent's Opening Knowledge Is Overrated

ONE of the more entertaining books of recent years is Fide master James Schuyler's 2016 tome Your Opponent Is Overrated.

Its subtitle of A Practical Guide To Inducing Errors gives a clue as to the contents.

The book's blurb on Amazon runs: Which opening does better in practice: the wild, "unsound" and "refuted" Latvian Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5) or the solid Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6)?----- As James Schuyler points out, referring to the definitive Megabase, the Latvian Gambit scores higher. How can such a discredited opening (and the same story is repeated with other "unsound" openings) do so well? The point is that playing like this throws the opponent off balance, makes them anxious and induces mistakes.

Leaving aside the poor grammar, incorrectly named database and unfortunate layout,  the theme is clear.

I was reminded of it in round five at Mariánské Lázně after playing the Englund Gambit: 1.d4 e5!?

After the further moves 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 we reached the following tabiya.

This position occurs 2,885 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

The main continuations are developing the queen's knight with 4.Nc3, when both Nd5 and Nb5 are threats, and protecting the e5 pawn with 4.Bf4, while Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 like the rare 4.Bg5.

My opponent (Fide 1456) preferred 4.g3!?, which has been tried by grandmasters, but suggests my opponent either has a very sophisticated opening repertoire or, more likely, has a repertoire with large holes in his knowledge.

I have played the Englund once before, four years ago.

On that occasion my opponent (rated about 1850) deviated from the norm even earlier by playing 3.e3!?

LESSON: there is a natural tendency to give opponents far more credit than they deserve. Because I have certain opening knowledge, I tend to think my opponent will know it too, and may even know it better. The truth, at least at club level, is that the player who gets in a 'surprise' move first. usually gets at least a psychological advantage.

County Chess

PLAYED on board eight (of 16) for Kent at Middlesex in the Southern Counties U2050 championship yesterday.

Xavier Cowan (1931) - Spanton (1884)

QGD Normal Position

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.e3!?

Today the commonest continuation is 5.cxd5, but the text, which goes back to at least 1843, used to be the mainline and is more sophisticated than its reputation might imply.

5...Nc6 6.a3 a6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.b4 Ba7 9.Bb2

This position occurs 617 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

9...d4?!

This has been played by international masters and at least one grandmaster, but is almost certainly premature. The mainline in Mega24 runs 9...0-0 10.Qc2 Qe7 11.Rd1 Rd8 12.Be2 dxc4 (12...d4 is also quite popular) 13.Rxd8+ Nxd8!? 14.Bxc4 b5, with an equal position, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

10.exd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4

The engines reckon 11.c5!? gives White a positionally won game.

11...Qxd4!?

This seems to be a novelty. The engines prefer the known move 11...Bxd4.

12.c5!? Qg4?

The engines reckon this is a serious mistake, much preferring 12...Qxd1+.

13.Qxg4 Nxg4 14.Ne4 0-0 15.h3 Nh6 16.Nd6

The white knight has a commanding outpost, and meanwhile Black has problems coordinating pieces

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

16...Nf5!? 17.Nxc8!?

Grabbing the bishop-pair on such an open board is almost certainly better than damaging Black's pawn-majority.

17...Raxc8 18.Bd3 Rfd8 19.Rd1 Ne7 20.0-0 Re8?

I picked up the rook intending to play 20...Rd7?, remembering in time White has Bxh7+! Having touched the rook, there is no better square than e8, but Black is losing. After the superior 20...Nd5 White 'only' has the upper hand, according to the engines.
21.Be4 Nc6?

Immediately giving up a pawn with 21...Nd5! is better.

22.Rd7 Bb8 23.Rxb7 Red8 24.Rb6 Nd4 25.Bxd4 Rxd4 26.Bb7 Rcd8 27.Rxa6 Rd1!?

Black's only hope is for a blunder - even an opposite-coloured bishop ending would almost certainly be lost.

28.g3 Be5 29.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 30.Kg2 Kf8 31.Ra8+ Ke7 32.Bc6 Rd2 33.Ra7+ Kf6 34.Be8 Bd4 35.Rxf7+ Ke5 36.Bc6 Rd3? 37.f4#
Middlesex won the match 9-7.

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 4: Drawing The Right Conclusion

IN round four I reached the following position with White.

My higher-rated opponent (+251 Fide elo) has just played 29...Ra2-a1+ and offered a draw - should I have accepted?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

I thought White's passed, albeit isolated, pawn gave a slight edge.

According to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1, I was wrong - they reckon the position is completely equal.

I played on, reaching the following position after 36 moves with White to play 

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

White has a positionally won game, according to the engines, but 13 moves later Black won a pawn.

Black has just captured on c5

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

The engines reckon the game is again completely equal, but I failed to defend properly and eventually resigned on move 93.
I still think I was right to play on when offered a draw.

Yes, I lost, but hopefully I am a better player for having played out the ending.

LESSON: accepting a draw offer from a higher-rated opponent will improve your rating, slightly, in the short run, but turning the offer down is more likely to improve your knowledge, and therefore, your rating, in the medium and long term.

Central London League

PLAYED on board two (of five) for Battersea 2 against Division Two table-toppers OTB Gnomes last night.

Spanton (1884) - Dashiell Shaw (2205)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nf6 7.Nc3 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 Bf5

By a slightly transpositional route, the game has reached a position occurring 136 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

11.Nh4 Be6!?

A positional pawn sacrifice that Alexei Shirov (2715) used to draw against Garry Kasparov (2838) at Linares (Spain) 2002.

12.Nxe4

Kasparov preferred 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Na4, drawing in 26 moves.

12...dxe4 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Rxe4 c5 15.Nf3 Bd5

DS afterwards regretted not playing 15...Qd5!?, which might have been a novelty. However, Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon Black then no longer has full compensation for a pawn.

16.Re1 Bxf3 17.Qxf3 Qxd4 18.Qe3!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer the known moves, ie 18.Qe2, 18.Re4!? and 18.Bg5!?

18...Rab8 19.Qxd4!? cxd4

Black now has a passed pawn, albeit one that is likely to be effectively isolated for quite some time

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

20.Bg5?!

The simple 20,b3 is almost certainly better.

20...f6

Also good is 20...Rxb2 21.Bxe7 and either 21...Re8 or 21...Rc8.

21.exf6 exf6 22.Bc1 f5

Possibly stronger is immediately going after the seventh rank with 22...Rfc8, and if 23.Re2?! then 23...d3.

23.Rb1 d3

Again ...Rfc8 is possibly stronger. As DS pointed out in the postmortem, the pawn on d4 was doing a good job of restricting the white bishop.

24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Kf1 Rbc8

How would you assess this late-middlegame position?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

All of Black's pieces are more-active than White's, and Black's passed pawn is much more threatening in the short and medium term than White's queenside majority is likely to become. However the d pawn is potentially vulnerable, which is presumably why the engines reckon the position is completely equal. Nevertheless I believe it is much easier for Black to play.

26.Be3 Rc2 27.Rd2 Rxd2

Possible is 27...Bxb2?! as 28.Rxb2?? loses to 28...Rc1+ 29.Rd1 Rxd1#. However the forcing line 28.Rxc2 dxc2 29.Rxb2 c1=Q+ 30.Bxc1 Rd1+ 31.Ke2 Rxc1 32.Rb8+, followed by Rb7+ and Rxa7 gives White practical winning chances over the board, even though Stockfish16 calls the position completely equal.

28.Bxd2 Kf7 29.Rc1!? Bxb2 30.Rc7+ Ke6 31.Rxa7 Rc8 32.Ra6+

32.Rxh7 is risky looking, but apparently playable.

32...Kd5 33.Ra5+ Kd4

Losing is 34.Be3+? Kc3.

34.Ra4+ Kd5 35.Ra5+ Ke6 36.Ra6+ Kd7 37.Ra7+ Ke8 38.a4!?

Hoping for counterplay, but the pawn proves no safer here than on a2, so this was probably a good time to get the king more into play with 38.Ke1, or to capture on h7.

38...Rc2 39.Ke1 Bd4 40.Rxh7 Ra2 

White to play and hold the draw

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

41.Kd1?

Necessary is 41.Rc7.

41...Rxa4?

Winning is 41...Ra1+ 42.Bc1 Bc3!, eg 43.Rc7 Ba5 with ...d2 to come, or 43.Rh3 Bb2.

42.Rc7 Bxf2 43.Rc3

Best, according to the engines, is 43.g3!? with good drawing chances.

43...Ra1+ 44.Rc1 Ra4 45.Rc3 Ra1+ 46.Rc1 Ra7

Black is at least slightly better after 46...Ra3, according to the engines.

47.Rc1 Rd7 48.Bg5 Bb6

Played to stop 49.Kd2. If 48...Rd4 then 49.g3, and if 48...Bg1 then 49.h3, in each case with equality, according to the engines.

49.Rc6 Bc7 50.Rxg6 Bxh2 51.Re6+ Kf7 52.Rh7+ Ke6 ½–½

Battersea 2 won the match 3.5-1.5.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 3: Exceptions Are Exceptional

IN round three I reached the following position with black after White played 16.d5.

How should I have continued?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black's normal response in such a setup would be 16...exd5. I rejected it because I did not like Black's 
position after 17.Bxd5!?, eg 17...Nxd5? 18.Nxd5 Qd6 19.Nb6, which wins the exchange for White. However Black can improve by moving the light-square bishop to g4 or f5, or with Stockfish16's preference, 17...a6, which the engine reckons give equality (Komodo14.1 reckons White is slightly better).

Instead I flicked in 16...Na5!?, and only after 17.Ba2 played 17...exd5. The problem with this sequence is that the knight is awkwardly placed on the rim.

The game continued 18.Bxd5 (the engines reckon 19.Rxd5!? is slightly stronger) Bc6?, after which 19.Rac1 would have given White a winning advantage, according to the engines, thanks to the threat of 20.b4.

LESSON: we all like to find exceptions to the rules (such finds are what masters are made of), but exceptions are indeed exceptional.

Mariánské Lázně Lesson 2: 'Simple Chess' Can Be Misleading

IN the following position from round two I have just played 12.Rad1.

I was quite pleased with the way the opening had gone, as White has more space in the centre and is well ahead on development, but I had a rude surprise awaiting me

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

True, I won the game, but that had more to do with the rating difference (Black was 276 elo lower) than the position in the diagram.

Indeed, given enough time, Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 conclude the position is completely equal.

Yet there is no denying White has more space and is well ahead on development (the white queen and rooks have found useful files, whereas the black rooks are directly behind friendly pawns and the black queen is being shadowed by a white rook).

Roger de Coverly (1893 Fide) came up with a plausible explanation for the engines' evaluation: "The engines may consider it equal because White has no obvious plan to make progress. These Caro like positions can be very resilient."

Certainly White cannot easily engineer a pawn-break to get into Black's position, and the game was effectively decided by a simple tactical error.

LESSON: there is much more to assessing a chess position than mechanically counting the number of developed pieces or measuring the two sides' control of space - more important is what can be done with these factors.

Mariánské Lázně Lesson: Pins Hurt

IN round one I reached the following position with black after White played 12.e5.

Black has two obvious moves (...Rb8 and ...d5) and two less-so (...Ba6 and ...Bd7) - which is best?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

I protected the queen's rook by playing 12...d5?, but after 13.Bg5 f6?! (13...Bb7 is probably better) 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Bxf6 (even stronger may be 15.Bh6) Rxf6 16.Rbe1 I was on the back foot against my much higher rated opponent (+419 elo), and succumbed rather easily.

Sacrificing the exchange with either ...Ba6 or ...Bd7 cannot really be justified either, which leaves 12...Rb8, which Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon leaves Black with at least the better side of equality.

LESSON: self-pinning is akin to self-harming, and should be avoided unless there is no choice.

Summing Up Mariánské Lázně

MY score of +4=2-3 in the 50+ seniors gained 21.8 Fide elo.

Winter has come

Mariánské Lázně Round Nine

Fresh overnight snow

FACED my fifth Czech in the last round.

Jan Židů (1835) - Spanton (1736)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8

This Berlin-Wall tabiya occurs 7,386 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

9.Nc3 Ke8

This is easily the most-popular continuation.

10.h3 Be7 11.Bg5 Bxg5 12.Nxg5

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

12...Nd4!?

This looks promising at first, but White has a strong reply. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 recommend 12...h6, and if 13.Nf3 then 13...h5!?

13.Rad1! Ne6

Not 13...Nxc2 14.a3!

14.Nxe6 Bxe6 15.f4!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer it over the known move 15.Ne4.

15...Rd8

The engines find it hard to decide whether the text or 15...g6 is better, but bad is 15...h5? 16.f5 Bc4 17.Rf4 Ba6 18.Rfd4.

16.Rxd8+ Kxd8 17.g4 h5 18.f5

Where should the bishop go?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

18....Bc8

The engines reckon 18...Bd5! equalises as 19.Rd1 Ke7 20.Nxd5 cxd5 21.Rxd5 can be met by 21...hxg4 22.hxg4 Rh4 23.Rd4 g6.

19.Kg2

The engines reckon 19.Kf2!? is stronger, although I have not been able to work out why. After both moves the king usually ends up on g3, which it can reach just as easily from g2 as from f2. In practical play, 19.Kf2!? has the advantage that it sets a positional trap, viz 19...hxg4 20.hxg4 Rh2+?! 21.Kg3 Rxc2?!, after which 22.Rh1 is very strong, eg 22...Ke7 23.Rh7 Rxb2 24.Rxg7 Bd7 25.Ne4 Rb5 26.Ng5 Rxe5 (26...Be8?! 27.f6+) 27.Kf4 Re2 28.Rxf7+ Ke8 29.Rh7. Black is a pawn up, but White has much the more dangerous play, one line running 29...Rxa2 (not 29...Re7?? 30.Rh8#) 30.Ke5 Re2+ 31.Kf6 Kd8 32.Nf7+ Kc8 33.Rh8+ Re8 34.Rxe8+ Bxe8 35.g5 etc.

19...Re8 20.Re1

The engines reckon White gets an advantage with a line that involves sacrificing three pawns: 20.Rd1+ Bd7 21.e6!? fxe6 22.f6!? gxf6 23.Ne4 hxg4 (not 23...Rf8? 24.Nc5) 24.h4! Their main continuation runs 24...f5 25.Nc5 b6!? (25...Re7?! 26.h5 Rh7 27.Rxd7+ Rxd7 28.Nxd7 Kxd7 29.h6 etc) 26.Nxd7 Ke7 27.Kg3 Rd8 28.h5!

20...g6?!

Black is equal after 20...hxg4 21.hxg4 g6 22.fxg6 fxg6, according to the engines.

21.fxg6

Apparently winning is the pawn sacrifice 21.e6!?, eg 21...fxe6 22.fxg6 hxg4 23.h4. The engines reckon a better defence is 21...gxf5, but agree 22.exf7 Rf8 (forced) 23.gxh5!? Rxf7 gives White the upper hand after 24.Ne2.

21...hxg4?

Better is 21...fxg6 with what the engines reckon is an equal position.

22.gxf7 gxh3+ 23.Kh2 Rf8 24.e6 Ke7 25.Ne4!

There is no defence

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

25...Kxe6

The bishop is lost after 25...Bxe6.

26.Ng5+ Kf6?!

Slightly better is 26...Kd7, but after 27.Kxh3 the f pawn is too strong.

White to play and win

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

27.Re8?

The simple fork 27.Nh7+ wins, eg 27...Kxf7 28.Rf1+, or 27...Kg7 28.Nxf8 Kxf7 (28...Kxf8 29.Re8+)  29.Nh7 Kg6 30.Re7.

27...Kg7 28.Re7 Kf6 29.Re8

JŽ offered a draw in my time (just).

29...Kg7 30.Re7 Kf6 ½–½

Mariánské Lázně Round Eight

View from the rear of my hotel

FACED my second German of the tournament.

Spanton (1736) - Thomas Müller (1925 - Fide ID: 4652401*)

French Exchange/Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6!?

This beats 4...Nf6 for popularity in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, and scores six percentage points more. One reason for not playing ...Nf6 quickly is that the black king's knight may go to e7 to support ...Bf5, the idea being to swop off White's good bishop (assuming it goes to its usual square of d3).

5.c4!?

More popular is 5.Bd3, but the text becomes attractive after Black spends a tempo on ...Bd6. The point is that after 4.c4 a fairly often recommended reply is 4...Bb4+!?

5...dxc4!?

This is third in popularity behind 5...Nf6!? and especially 5...c6.

6.Bxc4

What's in a name? ChessBase has been calling the opening "C01: French: Exchange Variation," but after 6.Bxc4 switches to labelling it "D20: Queen's Gambit Accepted: 3.e3 and 3.e4"

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

The diagrammed position dates back in Mega24 to the second Pierre de Saint-Amant - Howard Staunton match of 1843, appearing in game 19 after Staunton accepted Saint-Amant's Queen's Gambit. The Frenchman won in 79 moves, but went on to lose the match +6=4-11.

6...Nf6 7.0-0

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 suggest 7.Qe2+, which has occurred at grandmaster level, although to me it seems strange to go for an exchange of queens after contracting an isolated queen's pawn. The engines continue 7...Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Bxe7 9.0-0, claiming an edge for White, an evaluation supported by White scoring 64% with the line in Mega24.

7...0-0 8.Bg5

This position goes back to the first Louis-Charles de La Bourdonnais - Alexander McDonnell match of 1834

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

8...Nc6

McDonnell preferred 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5!? 10.Bg3 Bg4, but lost in 35 moves.

9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Nd5!? Be7 11.Nxe7+ Qxe7

White has won the bishop-pair, but the d pawn is weak.

How should White continue?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

12.Re1

Hitting the black queen is reasonably popular, but the strongest players have tended to prefer 12.Bd5!? or 12.h3!? After the latter, which is the commonest continuation in Mega24, 12...Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nxd4 looks tempting. White then has 13.Qxb7, when the engines give what appears to be a novelty, 13...Qc5!? After the forced 14.Bxf6, the engines reckon 14...Qxc4 15.b3!? Ne2+ 16.Kh1 leaves White slightly better, wherever the black queen goes.

12...Qd6

This is the only move in Mega24, and it gives complete equality, according to Stockfish16, which reckons 12...Qb4 does the same. Komodo14.1 prefers the text.

13.Rc1!?

This may be a novelty. The engines reckon it and the known 13.d5 maintain complete equality, albeit in a sharp position in which one slip is likely to be fatal.

13...Rae8

Black must avoid 13...Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nxd4 15.Qxb7 Rfb8? as White has 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7 17.Rxc7+, eg 17...Kf8 18.Rf7+ Kg8 19.Rxg7+ Kh8 20.Qf7 with a winning position (Stockfish16), or at least the upper hand (Komodo14.1). However Black can improve with 15...Ng4 16.g3 Rab8 17.Qe4 Nf6 18.Qd3 Rxb2, although the engines reckon White has enough for a pawn.

14.Rxe8!? Rxe8

What should White play?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

15.Bb5?

Moving the same piece twice! OK, we are in a middlegame, rather than the opening, at least in my opinion, but the position is sharp. I should have preferred the complications of 15.Qb3, when the engines reckon best play runs 15...Bxf3!? 16.Bxf7+ Kf8 17.Bxe8 Bd5 with ...Nxe8 to come, either before or after ...Be6. That is equal, according to the engines, which marginally prefer 15.h3!? Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Qxd4, after which they reckon White has enough for a pawn, eg 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxf6 gxf6 19.Bd5 Re2 20.Bxc6 bxc6 21.Rxc6 Rxb2 22.a4 Ra2 23.Ra6.
15...Bxf3 16.Qxf3?

White is lost after this, although 16.gxf3 leaves White with a deeply unpleasant position.

16...Nxd4 17.Qxb7

Black to play and win

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

17...Ne2+?

I feared 17...Ng4, which is indeed strong as long as after 18.g3 Black finds 18...Qb4! The engines reckon even stronger is the immediate 17...Qb4!, after which White can only 'sensibly' defend against back-rank mate by giving up the light-square bishop. Other moves, eg pushing the h pawn one or two squares, give equality.

After the text White wins with a simple forcing sequence;

18.Bxe2 Rxe2 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Qc8+ 1-0

*Müller is the commonest family name in Germany.

Mariánské Lázně Round Seven

Before the start of today's round my opponent added to my collection of chess-related pens by presenting me with a ballpoint showing he is a notary in Třebíč, a Czech town I have fond memories of, having played there in 2014, 2017 and 2018, gaining rating points each time

Miroslav Michálek (1574) - Spanton (1736)

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6!? 3.Bf4 Bg4

Black is using a Chigorin setup, although a true Chigorin includes an early c4 from White, usually on move two 

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

4.e3 e6 5.Nbd2

Most popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database is 5.c4, which dates back to at least an Alexander Alekhine simul in Canada in 1923, although the future world champion was held to a draw.

5...Bd6 6.Bg3 e5!?

It is not often Black can get in ...e5 against the London System so quickly, but the two tempi spent getting the e pawn to the fourth rank are probably worth it

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Be2

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 suggest the apparent novelty 8.c4!?, claiming a slight edge for White.

8...Nxf3+

How should White recapture?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

9.Nxf3

The engines suggest another apparent novelty, 9.gxf3!?, after which the position resembles a currently popular line of the French Burn, but with colours reversed.

9...Nf6 10.c3!?

This too may be a novelty. Known moves are are 10.0-0 and 10.Bh4!?, both of which seem rather more pertinent to the position.

10...0-0 11.Nd4!? Bxe2 12.Nxe2!?

The engines slightly prefer this over the developing 12.Qxe2, although I find it hard to understand why.

12...Re8 13.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black is slightly ahead on development and has more central space, but the engines reckon the position is equal, which again I find strange.

13...Ne4!?

Setting a little trap, while placing the knight on a good square.

14.Bxd6

Not 14.Qxd5? as Black is well on top after 14...Bxg3 15.Qxd8 Bxf2+ 16.Rxf2 Raxd8 17.Rf3 Rd2.

14...Qxd6 15.Ng3 Rad8 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qxd6?!

The engines are not too unhappy with this move, but White should probably not help Black double rooks on the open file.

17...Rxd6 18.Rfd1 Red8 19.Rxd6

Not 19.Rd4 c5 20.Rxe4?? Rd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxd1#.

19...Rxd6 20.Kf1 Rd2 21.Rb1

How would you assess this rook-and-pawn ending, and how should Black continue?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Komodo14.1 gives Black the upper hand, but Stockfish16 reckons White is only slightly worse.

21....f5!?

The engines are happy enough with this, but it may be 21...Kf8 or 21...g6 (with ...Kg7 to come) is a little more accurate as White would not have the counterplay resource he gets in the game.

22.Ke1 Rc2 23.Rd1!?

White probably should not just wait for the black king to activate, although the engines, Komodo14.1 in particular, reckon 23.a4 is almost as good.

23...Rxb2 24.Rd8+ Kf7 25.Rd7+ Kf6 26.Rxc7

Has White equalised?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Stockfish16 reckons he has, but Komodo14.1 gives Black a slight edge. The latter seems more correct to me; certainly Black's extra kingside space, and the fact the white king is cut off on the back rank, make Black's position easier to play.

26...h5 27.a4 g5 28.g3 h4

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

29.Rh7?

White is completely equal, according to Stockfish16, after 29.gxh4, and Komodo14.1 agrees if given enough time to fully consider the position.

29...Kg6 30.Rc7?

Better is 30.Rh8!?, although after 30...hxg3 31.hxg3 Rb1+ 32.Ke2 Ra1 Black wins a pawn, as 33.Rb8 is met by the simple 38...b6, followed by ...Rxa4.

30...h3 31.Rd7 Kh5 32.Rd2

Black to play and win

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

32...Rxd2?

I thought this was the simplest way to win, but it only draws. Correct is 32...Rb3, or 32...Rb1+ 33.Rd1 Rb3.

33.Kxd2 Kg4 34.Ke2 a5

White to play and draw

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

35.c4?

White draws with 35.f3+!? (or 35.f4!?) exf3 36.Kf2, as it is Black who runs out of spare tempi after 36...b6 37.c4, and 37...f4 gets nowhere after 38.gxf4! (38.exf4? gxf4 39.gxf4 Kxf4 wins for Black) gxf4 39.e4! Note that 36...b5!? 37.axb5 a4 38.b6 a3 39.b7 a2 40.b8=Q a1=Q is also a draw, as the engines show, as long as White finds 41.Qb3!

Black to play and win

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

35...b6?

The engines show that winning is 35...f4, eg 36.gxf4 gxf4 37.exf4 Kxf4 38.c5 Ke5 etc.

36.Kf1?

Again f3+ (or f4) draws. but also losing is 36.Ke1? Kf3 37.Kf1, as Black has the reserve tempo 37...g4.

The game finished:

36...Kf3 37.Kg1 Ke2 38.Kh1 Kd3 39.g4 fxg4 0-1

Mariánské Lázně Round Six

Russian Orthodox church

FACED a Latvian woman.

Spanton (1736) - Polina Ni (1881)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3

There are 1,502 games with this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

8...e5

This was played in 1,002 of the games.

9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 Be7

The mainline in Mega24 runs 10...h6 11.Bh4 Bc5!? (11...Be7 is also popular), when Komodo14.1 calls the position equal, but Stockfish16 gives Black a slight edge.

11.Qe2 d6 12.Rfd1 Rb8 13.Rac1 Qb6!?

This threatens to win with 14...Bg4, but the engines do not like it, suggesting 13...Nd7!?, claiming equality.

How can White exploit Black's last move?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

14.Na4

This is fine, but the engines point out the strength of 14.c5!, eg 14...dxc5 and then 15.Na4.

14...Qb4?!

The queen becomes a target here. Probably better is retreating immediately with 14...Qc7, or 14...Bg4 15.Nxb6 Bxe2 16.Bxe2 Rxb6.

15.b3 Bg4!? 16.f3 Be6 17.Bd2 Qb7 18.c5

This is still good.

How should Black reply?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

18...Rfd8?

The engines reckon Black has to play 18...d5!?, the main variation continuing 19.exd5 Nxd5!? 20.Qxe5 (or 20.Qe4 g6 21.Qxe5) Bf6 21.Qe4 g6, when Black has some activity, but not enough for a pawn.

19.Ba5 Rf8?!

Best may be 19...Rd7 20.cxd6 Rxd6 21.Nc5, or 19...d5!? 20.Bxd8 Rxd8 21.exd5 Nxd5 22.Qxe5, but in both cases White is winning, according to the engines.

20.Ba6 Qd7 21.cxd6 Bxd6 22.Nc5 Bxc5+ 23.Rxc5 Qe7 24.Rxc6

White is a pawn up and has an ongoing initiative

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

24...Nh5 25.g3

Even stronger seems to be 25.Bc7.

25...Qg5 26.Bd2 Qg6 27.Be3 Nf4

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

28.Bxf4?!

This throws away most of White's advantage, according to the engines. They give 28.Qd2 Nh3+ 29.Kg2 Nf4+ 30.Kh1 Qh5, and either 30.Rf1 or 30.Qf2.

28...exf4 29.g4 h5 30.h3 hxg4 31.hxg4 Rfd8 32.Rcd6 Rxd6 33.Rxd6 Qg5

Not 33...Bc4?? as White sidesteps with 34.Qd2.

34.Rd1 Qc5+ 35.Qf2 Qc7 36.Kg2 Rb6 37.Bd3 Rc6 38.Qd2 g5 39.Bb1 Kf8 40.Qd4 Ke7 41.Qb4+ Ke8 42.Rh1

What should Black play?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

42...Rc2+!
This guarantees at least a draw, but also gives White chances to go wrong.

43.Bxc2 Qxc2+ 44.Kh3 Qf2

Not 44...Bxg4+? 45.Kxg4 Qg2+ 46.Kf5 Qxh1, as 47.Qa8+ Ke7 48.Qxa7+ Kf8 49.Qc5+ is very good for White.

45.Qc3??

Missing White's chief threat. Drawing is 45.Qb8+ Ke7 46.Qc7+ etc.

45...Qg3#